On Teenagers and Nightmares
by shelllessturtle
Summary: When foreign exchange student Will Darcy moves in, a girl across the street immediately catches his eye. The moment he sets foot in her house, though, he can tell that something wrong is running under the family's life; something no one ever talks about.
1. Chapter 1: Moving In

A/N: Hi! Yeah, I haven't been around in a while. There was this whole fiasco at the end of the school year, and I sort of promised not to write fanfic again. At least for a while. Yeah, well, it didn't last long, obviously. So! Welcome to "Teenagers"! I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: Not mine yet, worse luck, but there's still hope!

**

* * *

Chapter 1: Moving In**

"But _no_ one moves into this neighborhood!"

"Obviously, someone is."

Sixteen-year-old Lizzy Bennet stared slack-jawed at the Sold sign in the lawn of the house across the street. "They probably won't have kids, then," she sighed. "More's the pity. I was kind of hoping for someone Kitty and Lydia's age."

Ever the optimist, Jane, Lizzy's seventeen-year-old sister, smiled and said, "They might still have kids."

Lizzy snorted. "With our luck, it's probably some old woman with seventy cats."

"Lizzy, there's laws against that," Jane said with a sigh.

"Exactly." Lizzy pushed away from the fence. "The police would find them, they'd be carted off, and the house would be empty again." She tried to run a hand through her light brown hair, but remembered at the last second that she had put it up. "Remind me again why I haven't gotten my hair cut in months?"

Jane laughed. "Because Mom said that it wasn't right for a girl to have such short hair."

"Charlotte has shorter hair," Lizzy muttered mutinously.

Jane tossed her long blonde hair over her shoulder and gave her younger sister a one-armed hug. "You could always pay for the haircuts yourself."

Lizzy rolled her eyes. "I'm saving for college, Janie. Unlike you, I can't get in on good looks and scholarships."

Jane blushed. "Good looks, maybe," she told her sister.

Lizzy grinned and shook off her sister's arm. "Come on. Let's go find the twins before they get into trouble."

They waved to fifteen-year-old Mary, the middle sister, who, like always, had her face stuck in some fantasy novel or other, her dark brown hair tied up in a bun, and her green eyes hidden behind glasses perched on her too-long nose. She waved back absently, knowing to tell their parents that Lizzy and Jane had gone for a walk, if ever asked.

It took fifteen minutes for the older girls to find their thirteen-year-old identical twin sisters. They were hidden behind some older girl's house with a group of sixteen- and seventeen-year-olds who were all smoking. Kitty and Lydia left when they were told to, but Jane had to pull Lizzy away by the arm. The brunette, her bright green eyes flashing, was all for taking down three or four of them then and there.

"Keep away from my sisters," she ground out as Jane tugged at her.

Jane shook her head at Lizzy. "They're never going to speak to the twins again, you know."

"Good," Lizzy replied. "Kitty and Lydia should stay away from people like them!" Jane had meant to make Lizzy apologetic, but when it came to family, there was nothing Lizzy wouldn't do. She was known around their school for having taken down three guys, each at least twice her body weight, the previous year when they had picked on Mary. Lizzy had by no means come out unscathed, but all three of the boys were worse off than she, and they would not be tangling with any of the Bennets again.

"You didn't hit any of them, did you Lizzy?" Kitty asked when her older sisters got back.

"Because we went to hang out with them. They didn't invite us," Lydia added.

"No, but I warned them to stay away from you," Lizzy told them. "So don't go back. You don't need that sort of influence in your lives. Especially not this young."

"You're such a worrywart, Lizzy!" Lydia sighed.

* * *

"That's why I want them to have kids Kitty and Lydia's age," Lizzy said later that night. She and Jane were sitting on Jane's bed, wondering about their new neighbors. "If they had someone their age to hang out with on this block, they wouldn't be looking to the older kids."

"When do you think they'll move in?" Jane asked, leaning back and putting her hands behind her head.

"If they have kids, before school starts. If not, who knows?" Lizzy replied.

They spent most of the night talking, and Lizzy wasn't in her bed until almost dawn.

* * *

Two days after the house had been bought, the family moved in. The adults were in their early fifties, and had four of the younger generation in tow.

"Where do you think he comes in?" Lizzy asked, pointing to one of the boys. He was much taller than the other boy, who looked about the same age as him, and dark-haired, where the rest of the new neighbors were blonde.

"A friend?" Jane guessed.

"Girls!" their mother shouted shrilly. "Go meet our new neighbors!"

"Yes, Mother," Lizzy sighed. She led her sisters across the road to where the new family was moving in. As Jane, the friendly, cheerful one, said hello, Lizzy stuck her hands in the back pocket of her jeans and inspected the dark-haired boy. He was proving much more useful than his blonde counterpart, who, in turn, was much more useful than either of the girls. Now that she was closer, Lizzy could see that it wasn't just his hair that set him apart from the rest; while everyone else was as blue-eyed as Jane, this boy had deep, sea-green eyes that Lizzy found she could easily get lost in.

"Will!" the blonde boy laughed. "Keep working!"

"It's not like I haven't done twice as much as you," the other boy grumbled as he turned back to the moving van.

Lizzy started as she realized that the dark-haired boy, Will, had been staring back at her. Now that he wasn't, she let her eyes wander over him again. He was well built, definitely on the thin side, and she could see strong muscles in his arms straining under the weight if the box. Wiry, she decided, was the word to describe him. Handsome, too.

"He's yummy, isn't he?" Lydia whispered, her eyes also on Will.

"He's got to be Jane's age," Lizzy whispered back. "Much too old for you."

"I like the blonde one," Kitty joined in.

"He's Jane's age, too!" Lizzy said fiercely. "Don't start anything, either of you!"

"Lizzy!" Jane called. "Mary! Kitty! Lydia! Come here!"

The girls trooped dutifully over to their older sister, standing by the blonde parents. Jane smiled. "This is Mr. and Mrs. Bingley," she said, then turned to the adults. "These are my sisters, Lizzy, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia." She indicated each one as she said their name.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Mr. Bingley said with a smile to rival Jane's. "The three blondes are our children, Louisa, who just graduated college, Caroline, who's in the middle of it, and Charlie, who's about to graduate high school. The dark-haired kid is Will Darcy, an exchange student from England, and Charlie's best friend."

Lizzy realized why Will had sounded a bit strange; he had an English accent. _I guess it only goes to show that I watch way too many English movies,_ she though wryly.

As her sisters made small talk with the Beingleys, Lizzy found herself staring at Will again.

* * *

"There's five of them," Charlie whispered.

"I hadn't noticed," Will muttered sarcastically.

"Pick one."

"What?"

"Pick one. There's five! Pick one."

"Charlie, the identical ones can't be more than thirteen!"

"So go for an older one!"

Will sighed at his best friend. "The short, almost-blonde. I like her."

Charlie grinned. He could always get Will to join in. "I like the tall, actual blonde," he said.

"You and your tall girls," Will muttered. "Now can we _please_ get back to moving the stuff?"

"Spoilsport!" Charlie replied, but he was grinning. He took another box out of the truck; Will took two.

* * *

"Dad!" The blonde boy, Charlie, was calling his father. Lizzy glanced over; he and Will were struggling to get a sofa out of the truck. Mr. Bingley dashed over immediately to help, but climbed into the truck as well.

_This won't end well,_ Lizzy thought, as the three men pushed the sofa towards the edge. As the legs started to slip off the truck, Will seemed to realize that someone should be down to catch it; his eyes widened and he looked like he wanted to curse loudly. Lizzy was instantly across the yard and behind the piece of furniture, grabbing it as it was about to slam hard into the sharp edge. It was only then that Charlie and his father realized what had almost happened, and thanked Lizzy profusely.

"Not a problem," she muttered, "but it will be in a minute if someone doesn't help me. I don't know how long I can hold this."

Almost before she finished her sentence, Will was next to her and taking some of the weight. "Budge up," he said, jerking his head to the left. Lizzy moved closer to that end, and she and Will shared the weight evenly. Between the four of them, they got the sofa down rather nicely after that.

Charlie and his father clambered down from the truck. "Can you get it from here, or do you need help getting it in the house?" Lizzy asked. She saw Will glance at her, possibly looking for any signs of amusement, but she was completely sincere in her offer.

"I think we can get it," Mr. Bingley said.

Lizzy smiled. "Call me if you need any more help," she said. Mr. Bingley nodded at her, and she wandered back to her sisters.

* * *

Will could barely keep his mind on moving the sofa anymore. His thoughts kept returning to the pretty almost-blonde, and more than once he was grateful that he wasn't the one guiding the couch, and was on the back end with Charlie. He tripped over the doorframe, walked into a box, and almost dropped the sofa twice.

"Jeez, Will, get a grip!" Charlie said. "I know you said you liked her, but seriously!"

Will glared at his friend, and walked back out to the truck. He should have known that Charlie would tease him about saying which one Will liked; the other teen always did.

* * *

"Good catch, Lizzy," Jane congratulated her.

"How could you possibly catch something that heavy?" the younger girl, Caroline, if Lizzy recalled correctly, asked.

"That's nothing," Lydia said. "Lizzy beat up three guys twice as big as her last year!"

Caroline's eyes widened, and Mrs. Bingley gasped. "Why?" the woman asked.

"They were picking on Mary," Lizzy said with a shrug. "What kind of a big sister would I be if I didn't stick up for her?"

"But you _beat them up_," Caroline repeated.

"I'm aware of that," Lizzy said, her bright green eyes meeting Caroline's blue eyes coldly. "What of it?"

Jane put a restraining hand on Lizzy's arm. "Our mother wanted to know if you and your family would like to join us for dinner sometime this week," Jane said.

Mrs. Bingley smiled. "That would be lovely."

* * *

A/N2: Review. Please. You know I don't ask often, it's just...it makes me feel loved! :)


	2. Chapter 2: Dinner with the Neighbors

A/N: So, I decided sod it all. Sod the posting schedule, sod writing a chapter a week, sod waiting until Saturdays, sod the...well, you get the point. Anyway, have fun. R&R, please. It's like my food. It tells me that you love me. :)

Disclaimer: I just checked. It's still not mine. :'(

* * *

**Chapter 2: Dinner with the Neighbors**

Will fidgeted nervously next to Charlie as they crossed the street. "Why?" he muttered. "Why do we have to do this?"

"Don't be a spoilsport, Will!" Charlie whispered back. "They're our neighbors, and they're being really nice!"

"But I don't _know_ any of them!" Will replied. "Don't you remember how I was when I first came to _your_ house?"

"Yes, and now we're best friends," Charlie hissed, "so loosen up a little. Who knows; your almost-blonde could fall for you."

"Her name is Lizzy," Will bit out, then glanced at Charlie and realized he had fallen for the American's trap.

"Boys, stop whispering back there," Mrs. Bingley commanded as they reached the Bennets' door.

"Yes, ma'am," Will replied instantly, and kept his mouth shut, even as Charlie laughed. The doorbell was rung, and seconds later, the door was opened by one of the twins. Will couldn't tell which one it was, but it didn't really matter, as Lizzy's was the only name he could really remember. Rubbish with names, him.

They were led through the kitchen, where Mrs. Bennet and the middle girl—Martha?—Margaret?—were cooking. Mrs. Bennet spun to great them, and was smiling and chattering away immediately.

The voice of the eldest Bennet girl—Charlie's blonde, who Will was reasonably sure was named Jane—filtered through to the kitchen. "Mary? Could you come out here a second?"

Mary! That was it! At least he got the first three letters right.

"Not now, Jane, I'm helping Mom," Mary called back.

Mrs. Bennet, however, didn't seem to be intent on cooking at all. Now that she had guests to entertain, they had all her attention. Will had to admit, if only to himself, that he would be better off without her attention. The woman led them into the living room, where Jane, Lizzy, and the twin who had answered the door were already sitting. At least, Will _thought_ it was the girl who had answered the door. She was wearing the same bright pink tank top and cut-off denim shorts, but twins had been known to wear the same outfits.

"Lydia!" Jane suddenly barked. "Don't touch her!"

The girl jumped away from Lizzy, who she had just been about to poke.

"You're no fun, Janie," Lydia said with a pout. "Besides, the guests are here."

"She needs all the sleep she can get, and you know it!" Jane said, and it was only then that Will realized that Lizzy had been too still to be awake. "Leave her alone."

Mrs. Bennet had indicated that they should all sit down, and Will, a bit slow on the uptake, found that the only seat left open was on the other end of the couch the sleeping Lizzy occupied. He perched himself nervously on the edge.

Lizzy slept through the whole before-dinner conversation, but Jane periodically glanced at her sister, her eyes worried. After her twin made an appearance, Lydia popped up next to Will and said, "If she starts thrashing, wake her up, for your well-being as much as hers." She misinterpreted his confused look and added, "If she lands a kick on you, you'll have a green and yellow bruise for weeks. They're not fun." She disappeared behind his seat, leaving Will wondering why Lizzy would start thrashing in the first place.

* * *

"Lizzy!"

"Mph."

"Lizzy, wake up."

"Go 'way, Janie."

"It's dinner time, Lizzy. You have to get up."

Lizzy slowly opened her eyes. The yellow, pink, and blue that was her sister's face filled her vision. "Don't stretch like you normally do," Jane whispered.

"Why not?" Lizzy mumbled.

"Will's at the other end of the couch."

Lizzy's eyes snapped all the way open; there was no better way her sister could have gotten her fully awake. "Why didn't you wake me up when they got here?" she hissed. "What if—?"

"You were sleeping, though!" Jane protested. "Actually sleeping! No…anything. Just sleeping."

Lizzy glanced up to where Will was looking at them oddly. She tried for a smile, but was sure it came out awkward and stiff. "Jane's always worrying about me," she said. She could tell that Will knew there was more, but he was nice enough to nod and leave it alone.

Lizzy's mother stepped into the room then. "Dinner!" she said, clapping her hands together. "Lizzy, get your father."

Lizzy felt herself involuntarily shrink back into the couch a little. Jane met her eyes, then said to their mother, "Lizzy just woke up. I'll get Dad." Lizzy smiled gratefully at her sister, and got up to follow Will and Charlie to the table. She situated herself at the end of the table from her mother, and ended up with Will on one side, an empty seat for Jane on the other, at the very end of the table, and Charlie across from her.

Jane and their father arrived at the table moments later, and Lizzy avoided his gaze, focusing instead on serving herself and offering the dishes to Will. The British boy mostly kept his mouth shut, leaving the conversation largely to Charlie, Lizzy, and Jane, but threw in the occasionally comment. It didn't take Lizzy long to recognize the stiff, awkward symptoms of shyness, and she did her best to work around it, but she knew from past experience that shyness only disappeared with time. Still, she had to keep his attention from the other end of the table and her mother's embarrassing talk and her father's dark glare.

* * *

Will was starting to suspect that Lizzy knew what was going on. She seemed to be doing her best to talk to him, while Charlie and Jane got to know each other. When Will had met Charlie, he had thought that the American boy was the nicest person in the world. Now that he knew the Bennet family, though, he was hard put to say who was nicer; Jane or Charlie.

Will had heard from Caroline and Mrs. Bingley that Lizzy had taken on three boys who had been picking on one of her sisters, and won. While Caroline had tried to make it sound ridiculous—"She's a _girl_ for God's sake! She should have gotten another boy to do it!"—Will had simply found it another reason to get to know Lizzy; she was fierce, protective, and loyal, and seemed to go to any length to keep those she loved safe. She would be a wonderful friend.

Lizzy was trying to draw him into a conversation about his family. Will left off his thoughts, did his best to ignore Caroline making eyes at him from across the table, and started to answer Lizzy's questions.

"My family isn't much," he said with a shrug, "just me, Dad, and my sister Georgie."

Lizzy cocked her head to one side curiously. "Where's your mother?"

Will felt his eyes drop to the table. "Mum died a little after Georgie was born."

"I—I'm sorry," Lizzy said quietly.

Will shrugged, his hands falling to his sides. "It was a long time ago," he said. "I was only four. I don't really remember her." He glanced up at the girl sitting next to him when a small hand crept into his and squeezed gently. Lizzy pulled her hand away as quickly as she had put it there.

* * *

Lizzy felt terrible. She should have known just to leave well enough alone, and not ask about his mother. Instead, she had managed to put her foot in it and now he probably hated her. She was very surprised, then, when he kept talking.

"My little sister, Georgie, she's thirteen now, almost fourteen, and, well, don't tell Charlie this, but she's the best mate I've ever had." Will smiled softly, tenderly, obviously picturing his sister in his mind. Lizzy felt her heart stutter at the look on his face. "She—she—it's so hard to explain!"

"She makes you feel happier than you've ever dreamed you could. She makes you forget, if just for a little while, everything you've ever been through, and imagine that life is all rainbows and butterflies." Lizzy flushed a little under Will's stare.

"How'd you know?" he asked softly.

"'Cause I've got a sister just like that," Lizzy replied. "It's the best gift I could ever be given, a pair of arms to feel safe in, and a friend to forget the hurt with." She unconsciously glanced at her dad, and neither she nor Will said much after that.

* * *

Will glanced over his shoulder at the house he had just left. On their way out, Caroline had commandeered his arm, and he had seen Lizzy's face fall, just slightly. He wondered if Lizzy thought he and Caroline were together. That would be…awkward, to say the least. They lived in the same _house_, for crying out loud! And aside from the fact that she was Will's best mate's sister, she was a good two and a half years older than him.

There was definitely something wrong in the Bennet home. He didn't know what, but Will could tell that there was something going on, some undercurrent to the whole family that no one was willing to talk about, and he would have to deal with it sometime if he wanted to be Lizzy's friend.

Charlie was going to have to deal with it, too, more than likely. He had taken quite a fancy to Jane at dinner, and now couldn't stop jabbering about the girl. Will couldn't help smiling in the face of his friend's happiness; Charlie was a more than decent bloke, and deserved a girl as nice as Jane seemed.

Will shook his head to clear his rambling; he was obviously tired. As soon as he came back to the present, he wished he had stayed in his thoughts. Caroline was making snips at Lizzy about shallow things, like her clothes, the style of her hair, the lack of nail polish on her fingers and toes, and the fact that she had been sleeping before dinner. She was trying to get his attention, but really only pulling Louisa in. When they reached the Bingley's home, Charlie pulled Will immediately up to his room.

"Are you going to call your sister?" Charlie asked as Will pulled out his laptop.

"Are you kidding me?" Will asked. "It's almost four in the morning over there! She'd kill me!"

"Through the computer?" Charlie asked skeptically.

"You've never met her," Will muttered. Charlie only laughed.


	3. Chapter 3: Night Terrors

A/N: Heyo, kiddies! I'm back, and I have a new chapter for you! I _think_ this one answers everyone's questions, but don't worry, there's still lots more to come! Also, I was thinking of putting a Col. Fitzwilliam character in here. I don't think he's ever given a first name in the book, but if he is, can someone tell me? Otherwise, what do you think I should call him?

Disclaimer: _Why_ is this taking so long? It's still not mine. Yet, anyway.

* * *

**Chapter 3: Night Terrors**

Lizzy dragged herself away from the window. Much as the backyard was interesting at night, she needed to help clean up.

As she stepped into the kitchen, Lydia and Kitty, the only girls still in the kitchen, were taking turns reliving the evening to their father. "Louisa didn't talk much, but Caroline as constantly talking," Lydia was saying.

"You couldn't get a word in edgewise!" Kitty added.

"You should talk," Lizzy muttered as she began drying the dishes Jane had washed.

"She talked _way_ more than us," Lydia assured her older sister.

"Though you wouldn't know," Kitty threw in, "'cause _you_ were asleep."

"You were asleep, were you?" their father interrupted.

Kitty and Lydia froze; they obviously hadn't been thinking. Lizzy simply kept drying dishes.

"I asked you a question, Elizabeth," Mr. Bennet said, his voice low and dangerous.

"Yes, sir," Lizzy replied stiffly. "I was asleep."

"While we had guests over?" Mr. Bennet's voice was louder now, a threat still very evident in his words.

"No one woke me up," Lizzy said

"Should that matter?" he asked. Lizzy said nothing. "I said, _should that matter?_" Mr. Bennet roared.

"Not to you, apparently." Lizzy knew she was just making matters worse, but she hated when he did this to her, and had to fight back somehow. She met the twins' eyes, then glanced towards the door; they got the message and made themselves scarce.

"This wouldn't happen if you didn't fall asleep whenever you sat down!" Mr. Bennet was still shouting, his eyes, blue like Jane's, shooting sparks and making Lizzy unconsciously press back against the sink. "You should at least have the forethought to go to your _room_ before falling asleep!"

"It's not like I asked for this!" Lizzy shouted back, finally having enough. "It wasn't _my_ idea to have the blasted dreams! You've always acted like this is my fault, like I can control what I dream, but _no one_ can!" She threw the towel into the sink and headed towards the same door her sisters had used.

"Where are you going?" her father demanded.

"To my bedroom, before I fall asleep on you!" Lizzy snapped, and slammed the door shut behind her. Her posture and expression were angry, her steps quick and light, and she reached her room as soon as she could. Locking the door, she tossed herself on her bed and curled around a pillow. This incident wasn't worth shedding tears over; they would be better saved for later that night. Her dad always yelled at her when she did something that he perceived as wrong, and it didn't usually make her anything more than angry. When he yelled at her, though, for something she couldn't help, try as she might to cover it with anger, she couldn't deny, at least to herself, that it made her anything other than sad.

And she couldn't help the bad dreams, not unless she wanted to sleep with Jane every night, and they were getting too old for that. Besides, Jane would be off to college next year, and Lizzy would have to cope without her. Better get used to it now, she figured, than when she had no choice.

Jane stepped through Lizzy's door to their adjoined closet, a secret the girls had managed to keep for the whole nine years the family had been in the house. The back wall of both their closets was the same wall, and had a sliding panel in it that the girls disguised by storing junk in front of it. A bathroom took up the rest of the space between their rooms.

Jane sat down on Lizzy's bed. "Why does he do this to me, Janie?" Lizzy asked.

"I don't think we're ever going to know, sweetie," Jane replied, stroking Lizzy's hair gently.

Lizzy flopped onto her back. "I didn't have a nightmare while the Bingleys were here," she commented.

"I noticed that," Jane said thoughtfully. "Why do you think that was?"

"Well, it wasn't that my body completely shut down, like it does sometimes, because you woke me up. Were you anywhere near me?"

"I was on the other side of the room. Will was the closest," Jane told her.

"And I saw where everyone else was sitting. Not nearly close enough," Lizzy mused.

"Do you think Will…?" Jane asked, her voice trailing off.

"But I barely know him!" Lizzy exclaimed.

"You of all people should know that the conscious and the subconscious don't exactly see eye to eye on everything," Jane said.

"Yeah," Lizzy sighed, then laughed humorlessly. "Maybe I should sleep on it."

Jane hugged her sister. "Do try and get some sleep."

She was heading back to the closet when Lizzy said, "I walked out before I finished the dishes."

Jane turned back and smiled tiredly. "I'll do them in the morning."

"You don't have to," Lizzy protested.

"I'll feel better for it. Now sleep," Jane commanded.

"You're an angel," Lizzy said with a smile.

* * *

_Dark shapes. A fear of both the known and the unknown. The urge to run strikes, but it is like moving through water. No, mud. Now it feels like molasses. So hard to run. Legs won't work; just looking for a place to hide. Nowhere is safe; there is no safety in this place. Nothing is really, nothing is imaginary, nothing is safe. Safety! Where is safety? Jane is safe; where is she? Gone, gone, there's nothing but blackness…_

Lizzy sat bolt upright in her bed. Even as the dream faded to dark shapes and a feeling of fear, tears pulled themselves from her eyes. Every night was like this, but the dreams still scared her. She curled back around the pillow she had abandoned earlier, and buried her face in it, letting the tears fall. She cried quietly, and was too afraid to go back to sleep.

Quivering in the dark like a little girl, a single concept from her dream came back to Lizzy; safety; Jane is safe. Something was messing with her sense of security, and since Jane made her feel safe, Jane stopped the nightmares.

Lizzy decided to think this revelation through in the morning; or, rather, when the sun was up and the decent people in her time zone were awake. Things might be clearer then.

* * *

Mid-morning light filtered into Lizzy's eyes. Blearily, she blinked, trying to adjust to the brightness. Something important was niggling at the edge of her brain, something she had thought of in the middle of the night, but she couldn't figure what. Yawning, she clambered out of bed; her too-long pajama pants fell from where they had been bunched up at her knees and her cami needed untwisting. The dark green nail polish on her toes was chipped, she noted, and placed the bottle of polish in a more prominent position on her dresser to remind herself to touch it up.

Unlocking her door, Lizzy wandered downstairs and into the kitchen. The dishes that she had left the night before when she had stormed off were nowhere in sight, presumably washed, dried, and put away by Jane. Lizzy pulled out a bowl, a spoon, the milk jug, and a box of cereal and settled herself on the counter with her breakfast.

Mary walked in, already dressed, and sat at the table. "Dad went in to work today," she said.

"That's a relief," Lizzy replied, rolling her eyes. "At least we don't have him wandering around the house like usual."

Mary smiled. "What are you gonna do today?" she asked.

"I don't know," Lizzy said. "Take a wander, maybe. Get out of the house, definitely. What are you doing?"

Mary shrugged. "It's that time of year, y'know? Second week of August, no one knows what to do anymore."

"Got any school work to finish?" Lizzy asked.

Mary snorted. "Are you kidding me? I finished it in June."

"Good for you," Lizzy said. "Try reading a book."

"I'll do that," Mary said with a grin, and left.

Lizzy stared after her sister, still racking her brains after the thought from the night. Kitty came in with a big plastic bowl.

"What were you doing with that?" Lizzy demanded.

Kitty grinned. "I don't think you want to know. Is this dishwasher-safe?"

The word ran through her. _Safe_. It was important somehow. If she was just given a moment to think, Lizzy knew it would come back to her.

"Lizzy!" Kitty waved her hand in front of her sister's face. "Is it?"

"Yeah, yeah it is," Lizzy said. As Kitty left, Lizzy searched her memory for what the word's importance was, but the flare was gone. Lizzy sighed, and figured that if it was important enough, she'd think of it sometime.

* * *

"Lizzy! There you are!" Jane called.

Lizzy waved to her sister. "Thanks for doing the dishes for me," she said.

Jane smiled. "Not a problem."

Lizzy was seated on top of a covered slide at a playground a mile from their home. Jane had just showed up with Charlie next to her, and a disgruntled-looking Will trailing behind. Jane and Charlie went around to the steps to climb up to Lizzy; Will simply scaled a ladder right next to her and perched himself at the top of it.

Lizzy grinned at him. "Come to see me, then?" she asked.

Will shrugged. "Couldn't take another minute of being with Caroline," he said.

Lizzy scowled at him. "You have a way of making a girl feel wonderful," she said.

He glanced up at her, surprised. "I didn't mean it that way!" he said.

Lizzy gave a small, half-hearted smile. "I probably could have figured that," she said. "I'm sorry, I'm really out of sorts. Didn't get much sleep last night."

"I doubt that nap helped," Will said, then blushed. "Sorry. I can't seem to open my mouth without putting my foot in it today."

"You're forgiven," Lizzy said. "God knows I did it yesterday."

They sat in a slightly awkward silence until Jane and Charlie made it up to where they were. They chatted amiably for a while about Lizzy and Jane's school, which Will and Charlie would both be attending that year, and the neighborhood, and their families, and anything else they could think of.

They spent a good few hours simply talking and getting to know each other, until Mrs. Bingley sent a text to Charlie demanding that he and Will get home immediately. Charlie texted back that they were on their way, and they all climbed down, Jane and Charlie back down the steps, Will back down the ladder, and Lizzy with a jump.

While they were walking, they got onto the subject of books, and Lizzy scorned a few of Jane's favorites, with Charlie fighting for Jane and Will making comments in favor of both sides

Lizzy glared at him in mock-frustration. "You're absolutely no help!" she said. "Pick a side and stay with it."

Will sighed. "They're awful, then. They need more plot and a better writer. Are you happy, Lizzy?"

"Barely," Lizzy said, but she was grinning.

* * *

A/N2: Yes, I know what Lizzy is afflicted with isn't _strictly_ night terrors. I did do _some_ research, much as I dislike doing it, but in this story, Lizzy and Jane call them night terrors, to give it a little more class. Or something. And if anyone can guess which books I'm referring to, I'll write them a P&P based double-drabble off any prompt they give me. Have at!


	4. Chapter 4: The Gift

A/N: Ummmmmm, hi! Anybody remember me? Heh. Sorry this has taken so long. Life just got completely away from me. I'm so sorry. I hope this makes up for it.

Disclaimer: Despite the long wait, rights _still_ don't belong to me. Monkeys!

* * *

**Chapter 4: The Gift**

The remainder of Lizzy's summer passed quickly in getting to know the neighbors, becoming closer friends with Will and Charlie, and her job. She stayed out of the house as much as possible, as usual, and was normally on her own, though on occasion she was joined by Jane, Charlie, and Will. After a few more arguments with her father, Lizzy took to texting her mother that she was home and climbing up to the porch roof and through her window to avoid him.

When school started, Lizzy let out a sigh of relief; she didn't have to invent reasons to be out of the house anymore.

On the first day of school, Lizzy was up in time to see Jane and Mary off to the early bus. She glanced out the door after her sisters and saw that Charlie was already there; Jane would be happy about that.

It was only as Lizzy finished breakfast that she realized that Will hadn't been at the stop and what that meant. He would be on the bus with her. Lizzy shrugged it off, deciding to deal with it when the time came. Will might be a nice person, but he never seemed to have gotten over his shyness, and he was still sort of backwards around her, and that was with Charlie around. Lizzy was close to giving up on the boy entirely.

* * *

Physics was easy; math was boring. History was fascinating, but history was always fascinating. Spanish was boring, too. When sixth period finally rolled around, Lizzy wandered her way into her study hall and sat herself down in a back corner, like usual. She organized her things and settled in to try and nap. It never worked very well, as she was always afraid to wake up screaming, but she tried.

She glanced casually up at the door, and gaped in surprised as Will walked in. He glanced around the room, his eyes alighting on her, and smiled. _He looks really good when he's smiling, _Lizzy thought. Will walked over to her and sat in the seat next to her.

"Hi, Lizzy," he said quietly.

"Hi, Will," she replied.

"Do you know if the teacher assigns seats in this class?" he asked.

"They don't usually in study halls, but sometimes," she answered.

The teacher came in, took attendance, told them to keep the volume down, and proceeded to ignore them.

Lizzy laid her head on her arms and hoped Will wouldn't be offended. She really did need the sleep, and, hopefully, it wouldn't be broken by nightmares she could never remember.

* * *

"Lizzy!"

"Go 'way. 'M sleepin'."

"Lizzy, wake up! We have to go to lunch!"

Lizzy blinked blearily, the soft, deep green eyes of Will Darcy looking down at her. She stumbled out of her seat and gathered her books.

"You're always sleeping," Will commented as they made their way to the cafeteria.

"I don't get much at night," Lizzy said stiffly. Will took the hint and dropped the subject.

They got a table together, and Will left to buy lunch as Lizzy started pulling hers out of its bag. Just as she finished and was starting to wonder where Will was, a voice interrupted her.

"Hello, gorgeous."

* * *

Will almost dropped his tray. What was _he_ doing here? It was almost as if the other boy had followed him, just to torment him. And now it looked like he was flirting with Lizzy!

Will dropped onto the bench next to Lizzy. "He's not bothering you, is he?" Will asked, glaring at the grey-eyed, brown-haired boy who was smiling at Lizzy.

"Well," the boy said, "if it isn't William Darcy. Couldn't get enough of me back in England, eh?"

"Shut up, Wickham," Will replied, his glare darkening.

"Hey, _I_ was here first," the other said, assuming an innocent expression.

"Not true," Will said, pointing at his books. "Lizzy and I were. Get lost, George."

He stood up, smiling at Lizzy. "If you ever get bored of this stuck up bloke, I'll be around," he said, and left.

"What the hell was that for?" Lizzy demanded.

"We knew each other back in England. I don't like him."

"That's no reason to be rude!"

"It is when it's him."

Lizzy didn't speak to him for the rest of the period.

* * *

She perched herself on the top of the slide, like usual, trying not to think of Will and what happened at lunch. It wasn't working.

"Lizzy?"

She groaned internally. Why couldn't he just leave her alone?

"Lizzy, I know you're up there."

"Wonder how you could have guessed," she muttered, and turned to look at him. It was just him; no Charlie, no Jane. Who knew what those two were doing.

"Are you going to let me explain what happened at lunch?" he asked. "Or are you going to make a judgment based solely on what you saw?"

When he put it that way, it did seem like a stupid thing to do, but that didn't meant she was going to excuse his behavior immediately. He needed a good reason for behaving that way. "Fine," she said. "Explain."

Will sighed. "Can I come up?"

"Suit yourself."

Will scrambled up the ladder as he had done weeks ago, the day after he and the Bingleys had come over for dinner. He placed himself on the railing opposite Lizzy. "His name is George Wickham," Will began. "We grew up together; his father worked for mine, and we were friends when we were kids. As we got older, though, we started to grow apart. I was, well, shy, as you can obviously tell, and George didn't seem to get that; I had never been so backwards around him, because we had always known each other. He became something of a…" Will cast around for a word. "A Casanova. That's it!"

Lizzy laughed. "A Casanova?"

"Well, how would you word it?" Will demanded. "Other than the clichéd 'ladies' man'?"

"I have no idea," she said, but she was still laughing. "Maybe 'player'?"

Will smiled. "So he became a bit of a Casanova—" he glared at Lizzy "—when we were thirteen. I didn't really like it—"

"And so you cut all ties and started hating him?" Lizzy interrupted, not really believing it.

"No!" Will exploded. "He tried to rape my little sister!"

* * *

Will buried his face in his hands. Lizzy was staring at him, her mouth gaping open. He hadn't meant it to come out like that; give her a few more details, tell her a bit more what George was like now, then drop the bomb shell. Maybe then it wouldn't have been so shocking.

Oh, who was he kidding? Rape was always shocking, even attempted rape, no matter how much anyone tried to soften the blow.

He jumped as he felt warm arms circle around his waist. He hadn't heard Lizzy get off the slide and come over by him.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. Will hugged her back. He didn't say anything, because there really wasn't anything to say. "When?" Lizzy asked after a moment of silence.

"About a year ago," Will replied. "She was only thirteen."

"Kitty and Lydia's age," Lizzy whispered. He could tell that she was thinking about what she would do to anyone who even made known thoughts about doing such a thing to her little sisters. "Why is he still running loose, then?"

"There wasn't enough evidence to convict him," Will said dispassionately. Lizzy's arms tightened around him, and he buried his face in her shoulder.

A minute later, he pulled back. Lizzy dropped her arms from around him, and he found himself regretting the loss. "You really care about her, don't you?" Lizzy asked quietly. Will nodded. He had talked about Georgie with more animation than other subject. She was his favorite person in the world. Except maybe…no, it was too early to say.

He let Lizzy direct the conversation after that. They ended up discussing books; their favorite genres and authors, techniques that they loved and hated, and ended with Lizzy completely shredding Jane's (and Caroline Bingley's) favorite series. Will was content just to listen to his new confidant, and the girl he was rapidly falling in love with.

* * *

Later that night, Lizzy had draped herself across Jane's bed as the older girl sat at her desk, getting a jump on homework that was due the next week.

"Yes, I've met George Wickham," Jane was saying. "He's managed to make himself popular in the first day. Quite a feat."

"Will hates him," Lizzy said suddenly.

"Oh?" was Jane's only reply.

"And it's not unfounded. They knew each other before." And before Lizzy knew it, she had spilled the whole story to Jane; how she had met George, Will's reaction, and what George was capable of.

"Really?" Jane was wide-eyed by the end of the tale.

"There's no way Will could have faked that," Lizzy replied with a sigh. "Much as I hate to think badly of anyone I've just met, I don't think I could stomach talking to him again. Just…do you think that we should tell people? I mean, if they looked into it enough, they would find the trial records, of course, but not many people will."

"I don't think we should," Jane said slowly. "I mean, it's Will's business, so we shouldn't go spreading it to begin with, and maybe George is sorry for what he did. Maybe he wants to turn over a new leaf. Plenty of people come to America to do so." This last bit was added with a smile.

"If he was sorry he would have pled guilty," Lizzy muttered.

"What was that?" Jane asked.

"Nothing," Lizzy said aloud. "There was something else I wanted to tell you," she said a minute later. "Oh! That's right! Will's in my study hall."

"Is he now?" Jane asked, a small smile playing about her lips.

"Yes, he is," Lizzy said, mock-glaring at her sister. "He sat next to me."

"Were you in your corner?" Jane asked, trying not to laugh. She knew all about Lizzy's love of hiding in corners; they had been in the same study hall two years in a row.

"Yes, I was in my corner," Lizzy sighed, "but that's not the point. The point is, I fell asleep, and _nothing happened_."

"No…terrors?" Jane asked. "Nothing?"

"Nope. I slept like a baby."

"So, do you think it has anything to do with Will?" Jane pressed.

"I don't know. Maybe," Lizzy said doubtfully. "I've never slept soundly in school before, and when he was sitting next to me the other night… It's one too many times to be a coincidence, I think."

"Never ignore a coincidence," Jane said with a smile.

"Unless you're busy, in which case, always ignore a coincidence," Lizzy added, grinning.

She stepped through the closet, into her own room. She didn't want to go to bed, but she needed the sleep. Slipping under her covers, she tucked her hands behind her head, staring up at the ceiling.

There was a word her mind was searching for, a word that had started nudging at the edge of her brain when she had hugged Will earlier that afternoon, when he had told her about George. It was something important, she knew, it was something that Will made her feel, and she couldn't think of what it was. It annoyed her, but there really was nothing she could do about it. With her mind still searching for words, she dropped into a troubled and broken sleep, waking and forgetting what frightened her more than once that night.

* * *

A/N2:If you got my reference, you, sir (ma'am), get lots and lots and lots and lots of awesome points. ;)


	5. Chapter 5: The Mall

A/N: Guise. Guise. I'm a_live_. Who'd've thunk it, yeah? Okay, let's get this thing kicking again. Remember, reviews are my sustenance! I need them to live! Even if you're just yelling at me for taking so long! Anyway, I hope you like my humble offering!

**Disclaimer:** I just got the letter from the patent office. They won't give it to me. Drat!

**

* * *

Chapter 5: The Mall**

"Do we have to?" Lizzy groaned for the twelfth time.

"Yes, Lizzy," Jane sighed back, also for the twelfth time.

"Why?" Lizzy whined.

Jane gripped the car's steering wheel. "Because you grew an inch and a half over the summer, and none of your pants fit anymore."

"But why the _mall_?" Lizzy griped. "And why do we have to bring them?" She jerked her thumb at the back seat, where Kitty and Lydia were giggling over something Lizzy couldn't bring herself to care about.

"We didn't, but they wanted to come. How am I supposed to say no to our little sisters?" Jane explained patiently.

"You left Mary at home," Lizzy muttered mutinously.

"Mary _wanted_ to stay home," Jane said.

"You never answered my first question," Lizzy pointed out. "Why the mall?"

At least she had stopped whining. "Why not the mall?" Jane shot back.

"You're avoiding the question," Lizzy said, then she gasped. "Charlie's going to be there, isn't he?"

"I never said that!" Jane protested.

"He is," Lizzy decided. "That's why you wanted to take me so bad, even though Dad would only give you enough money to buy me two pairs of jeans."

"He—he might be," Jane conceded, blushing.

"Ha! I knew it!" Lizzy declared triumphantly. She grinned at her older sister, who turned even pinker. Lizzy fell silent and turned to the window, her smile fading slowly.

If Charlie was going to be, then it meant that Will was going to be there, too, and possibly even Caroline and Louisa. The latter two would be bad enough, with all the complaining about small-town stores, the whining about their feet aching, and Caroline's almost-continuous flirting with Will, who obviously didn't care. With Will added, though, it would be awkward. Ever since he had told Lizzy his story, they hadn't actually talked one-on-one. Lizzy had slept during every study period, and the only time they spoke at lunch was when George looked in any way, shape, or form to be coming towards them; Will would start talking animatedly about nothing in particular, and Lizzy knew that it was just so that George wouldn't actually get close to them. As soon as Will saw that George was going away, he would break off the conversation. It was one step forward and three steps back with that boy, and Lizzy was beginning to get annoyed.

Jane parked the car, and Kitty and Lydia hopped out immediately. Lizzy climbed out much more slowly, and was about to start complaining again. Suddenly, she noticed someone very familiar walking towards them.

"Let's go inside," Lizzy said.

Jane looked confused. "Why in such a hurry all of the sudden?"

"Come on!" Lizzy said urgently.

Reading the look on Lizzy's face, and knowing that she was not one to worry unduly, despite her tendency to complain, Jane began walking briskly towards the mall entrance. Lydia and Kitty were already running for it.

"What is it?" Jane asked when they were about five cars from the door.

"George," Lizzy explained through gritted teeth.

"Oh."

* * *

Will glanced around. He didn't particularly want to be in the store Caroline had dragged them to. The scent was over-powering; how did the employees stand it?

As he was looking around, his gaze stopped on Charlie. The American boy looked nervous and jittery, and kept glancing out the door. When he could manage it, Will moved away from Caroline and toward Charlie. "What's wrong with you?" Will asked.

Charlie glanced at the door again. "Nothing," he said. "I'm fine."

Will raised an eyebrow at Charlie. "You look like you just drank a whole pot of coffee," he said. "Why are you so nervous?"

Charlie's eyes shot to the door again. "I'm not nervous."

Will followed Charlie's gaze to the door. "Who are you looking for?"

"Someone."

Will sighed. He was beginning to wonder what on Earth had possessed him to agree to "chaperone" Charlie's older sisters at the mall. Forget politeness if it got him into situations like this.

"Can we please leave?" he asked Charlie. "Just this store, I mean. I can't take the smell."

Charlie nodded. "Caroline! Louisa! Will and I are going somewhere else. Text if you need us."

Will felt like banging his head against a wall as he followed Charlie out the door. The other boy had basically just given Caroline an open invitation to annoy Will to death.

After five minutes and thirty texts, Will gave up answering his phone, and just switched the device off. He led Charlie into a videogame store (he thought he could use a couple new ones for his computer; the fact that Caroline wouldn't even think to look there was just an added benefit) and began poking through used PC games.

After selecting one, Will looked up to make sure Charlie hadn't broken anything or wandered off, and noted a disturbingly familiar figure at the store's entrance.

_There is no escape_, the overly dramatic part of him told Will. He agreed as George Wickham spotted him and began walking in his direction. _He must be either a sadist or a masochist,_ Will figured.

"Fancy meeting you here," George drawled.

"Go away," Will muttered, trying to once again absorb himself in the videogames.

"I don't think I will," George replied. "After all," and Will could hear the smirk in his voice, "it's a free country."

Will studiously pretended to ignore the other boy while in reality he was watching George in his peripheral vision and not paying any attention to the games passing under his fingers.

"You're friend from lunch won't talk to me," George said conversationally after a while. "What did you tell her?"

"Only the truth," Will replied quietly.

"Pity you're not as convincing as I am," George said. Will's head snapped up. The other boy was grinning from ear to ear. It wasn't a nice grin; it was a grin that bespoke doom for someone or something; it was a grin Will had seen too many times not to be wary of it; it was a grin that, right now, scared him all the way through.

"Don't touch her," Will growled. "Don't even think about touching her. If you do _anything_ out of line, I will not hesitate to pound you into the floor, whatever the penalties to me."

George's grin dropped to a self-satisfied smirk. "I've not done anything. Yet, anyway. Now I'm thinking I might, since she's so precious to you. What better way to get back at you for everything you've done to me?" He turned on his heel and left, leaving Will feeling tricked and used.

If only he'd kept his mouth shut! Then maybe George would not have decided to go after Lizzy. Now it seemed that, since he'd gotten Lizzy into this, he'd have to protect her until he got her out of it.

* * *

Lizzy swore quietly.

"Lizzy!" Jane admonished.

"There he is again!" Lizzy said, ignoring her sister's rebuke.

Jane followed Lizzy's gaze and spied George Wickham coming out of a videogame store. "Just pretend you haven't seen him," Jane sighed. "He probably won't notice us. Come on." She pulled Lizzy into the store Kitty and Lydia had just disappeared into .

"What happened to jeans?" Lizzy wondered aloud.

"You're in a mood," Jane told her. "You're just going to agree to whatever while you're in it, so we're just going to keep wandering until you snap out of it so that you don't get pants you'll never wear."

"That's not a very smart idea," Lizzy countered. "My mood'll get worse the longer we're here, so I'll be more likely to get bad jeans in an hour than I am now."

"Well, maybe we'll see someone who cheers you up, and then you'll be ready to get pants," Jane replied.

"Mmhm," Lizzy agreed absently, already distracted by the Converse displayed along the wall left of the entrance. "Janie, how much money did Dad give you?"

"Not enough for Converse and jeans," Jane replied, smiling. "You have ADD, I swear."

"Nah," Lizzy said. "I've got ADOC."

"ADOC?" Jane inquired.

"Attention Deficit—Oo! Converse!" Lizzy answered with a grin.

"You're insane."

"And proud to be!"

Lizzy's eyes wandered up and down the wall. Suddenly, a pair of shoes caught her eye. "Janie, how much money do you have?" she asked excitedly.

"Fourty, not counting the money for your jeans," Jane sighed.

"I've got fifty. Can I borrow ten? Maybe a bit more?"

"What for?"

Lizzy pointed. Situated Four rows from the ceiling were a pair of high-tops with Union Jacks all over them. The Who Converse.

"I've been looking for them everywhere!" Lizzy exclaimed. "Please, Janie? I've got twelve at home, I swear! I'll be able to pay you back once we get home!"

Jane smiled indulgently at her sister. This was probably one of the best things to get Lizzy to cooperate with the jeans. "Sure, Lizzy," she said.

"Thank you, Janie!" Lizzy hugged her older sister tightly.

* * *

Lizzy hugged the box excitedly to her chest. Kitty and Lydia walked beside Jane, laughing at something Lizzy didn't think she wanted to understand. Still, she had the shoes she had been looking for for months, and now she was very willing to go try on jeans. The four girls wandered into a department store. Jane and Lizzy headed straight for the women's jeans, while Lydia and Kitty began browsing through the women's shirts, despite the fact that all of the shirts on display were far too big for the younger girls, in more ways than one.

Lizzy rapidly selected four pairs of nicely-fitting jeans from a sales rack, ,and then the older girls watched as the younger girls picked out shirt after shirt, just to see how they looked.

Lizzy sat down and slipped on the new shoes as Lydia and Kitty tried on the obscene amount of clothes they had picked out. She grinned happily, and a little goofily, at her feet and clicked the toes together.

"You look satisfied."

Her head snapped up at the sound of a voice. George Wickham was leaning precariously on a clothing rack, smiling down at her.

"New shoes," she explained.

He glanced at her feet. "I like them," he said.

"Thanks," Lizzy said.

George stared at her for a moment, then said, "You know, this is the first time you've spoken to me since the first day of school. A boy would think you don't like him."

"Mm," Lizzy hummed noncommittally.

"I do think you don't like me, actually," George said. "And I've got a theory on why, too."

"Do you?" Lizzy asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Yes." He sat without invitation (granted, he didn't really need one; it _was_ a public place, after all) and stretched his legs out. "I think it's Will Darcy."

"What about him?" Lizzy asked defensively. Will might have been shy and awkward, but Lizzy still counted him as a friend. Technically.

"I think he's been spreading stories about me," George continued. "He doesn't really like me. He's always been petty and jealous. Did he tell you my father worked for his? Well, that's true enough. My dad died, though, when I was little, and Mr. Darcy looked after me. All but adopted me, really, and Will didn't like the extra person to compete for attention with; I mean, he already had _one_ sibling. He probably resents her as much as he resents me."

Will resent Georgie? Lizzy didn't think it was possible. He obviously loved his sister very much

George was still talking. "It was all ridiculous, really," he said. "Mostly stuff like me getting girls that he wanted. To an outsider, that might seem bad, but the bloke's so tight-lipped about everything, so I'd no idea at the time." George stopped and smiled. "You'd think that he'd get over it. Still, petty and jealous, like I said. I'll not be bothered about it. I just hope that not very many people believe him." He stood up then. "It was nice talking to you, Lizzy. I hope we get to know each other better. Bye." He walked away, leaving Lizzy reeling.

Two entirely different accounts, making the people involved out into two entirely different people; which one was right?

George's claim about Will resenting Georgie couldn't possibly be true; not many could fake love like that. But then, no one who couldn't fake love like Will held for Georgie could fake the pain in Will's eyes and stance when he'd told his side of the story. Did that mean that none of George's story was true? Or that Will was just a really good actor, and really _could_ fake love that strong? Or were both sides true, but in varying degrees? Was _neither_ story true, and they just disliked each other because of clashing personalities?

Lizzy clutched her head in her hands. It was too much to take in by herself. She needed to talk to Jane.

* * *

A/N2: No references this time around, but now we have both sides of the boys' story! Which side will Lizzy believe? And what's _really_ going on with Mr. Bennet? No guarantees about what's to come in the next chapter, but here's hoping that I can get it up in less than three months!


	6. Chapter 6: Bonding and Plans

A/N: Oh hey, look at this! I'm actually alive! What d'ya know! My brain actually just vomited all but the first four paragraphs onto my computer. Just a warning: L'angst is prominent. Also, there is cute.

Disclaimer: Just resubmitted my application for the rights to this! Hopefully, I'll get them soon!

* * *

**Chapter 6: Bonding and Plans**

The sidewalk felt cold against the bottoms of Lizzy's feet. She padded softly through her neighborhood in the gathering September dusk, flip-flops dangling from one hand, dark green toenails peeking out from under her brand-new, over-long, boot-cut jeans. Her head buzzed with information. She'd not told Jane what George had said yet; she wanted some time to think about it.

What she really needed was another person to confirm either of the stories, or deny them both. But where was she going to find someone else that had been through this?

Without noticing, she had arrived back outside her home. She looked across the street to the Bingleys' home, her brow furrowed in thought, and noted a strange car in front of the house. Wondering who could be visiting them, Lizzy began her usual clamber up the trellis to the porch roof and her open window. She put her fingers into the crack and heaved upward, then scrambled through the open space. She stretched and went to pull out her phone to tell her mother she was home, but something in her doorway caught her eye.

"I'd been wondering how you'd been getting in and out without my noticing," her father said. Lizzy flinched. "It's not safe to do that. The roof could collapse, and it'd be really expensive to repair."

"So glad you care, Dad," Lizzy said sarcastically.

"Don't use that tone with me!" her father ordered, his face dark.

"Don't talk to me like I mean nothing!" Lizzy snapped, her anger rising.

"You are not allowed to order me around!" Mr. Bennet roared. "Most children would get a slap for that!"

"Go on then!" Lizzy challenged, yelling as well. "Hit me! I dare you!"

He hesitated for a moment, seeming undecided.

"You don't have the guts!" Lizzy said scornfully. "You wouldn't to lay a finger—"

_CRACK!_

Lizzy reeled back from the force her father had struck her with. Rage was spitting from his eyes and he looked like he wanted to hit her again. She didn't give him the chance, though. Spinning, she vaulted out her still-open window. As she went for the side of the roof, she heard Jane's voice call out her name, but ignored it. Lizzy leapt off the porch, bending her knees as she hit the ground and going into a deep crouch to lessen the shock.

Dropping the flip-flops she had been holding onto the lawn, Lizzy took off down the block at a dead sprint.

Will had been pleasantly surprised by his cousin Richard's arrival at the Bingley abode. The recent college graduate was in training to take over the American part of Will's father's company, and had been given a week off to visit his cousin. Richard had shown up soon after Will had returned from the mall, and had, in a helpful manner that was very much his own, volunteered to help Caroline pack up for college. He had also offered to drive Caroline to her college, but had been shouted down by Mr. and Mrs. Bingley; he was here to visit Will, and that was what he was going to do.

"You got off easy, mate," Will told Richard later.

"She can't be _that_ bad," Richard replied, amused.

"Oh, yes she can," Will argued. "Just you wait." He was certain that Caroline's attentions would revert to the chivalrous Richard now.

He was wrong, though. She fawned over Will just as much as before, and deplored her existence away from him. Will was sure that he saw Richard and Charlie stifling laughter more than once through the afternoon and all of dinner.

As the sun set and Louisa began cleaning the kitchen—it was her week for it—Will decided that enough was enough.

"I'm going on a walk," he declared. As Caroline opened her mouth, no doubt to offer to join him, he added, "I want to call Georgie, and I don't want to bother anyone with our long conversation."

Caroline looked disappointed, and both Charlie and Richard stared at him, confused. Richard checked his watch, confirming the fact that it was midnight in England to himself. Will glared at both of them, daring them to say anything about the time. Neither of them said anything.

Will sat down on the front porch to put his shoes on. He finished and looked up just in time to see Lizzy leap off the roof and take off running.

"Lizzy!" he shouted, but either she didn't hear him, or was ignoring him. He took off after her, unable to leave her alone when she looked that miserable.

They ran together, Will a good twenty yards behind Lizzy, the gap neither widening nor closing. With the route she was taking, Will guessed that Lizzy's final destination would be the park, though it was possible that she was going to run until she could run no more.

They pounded along together, their steps falling in and out of sync, for a mile, the distance from their homes to the park. Once there, Lizzy vaulted a bench, spun around, and faced him.

"What do you want?" she snapped harshly.

"I saw you jump off the roof," Will explained through pants. "You looked miserable, and I couldn't let you be alone like that." He took slow, deep breaths, trying to get his respiration and heart rate under control

"Nice of you," Lizzy said stiffly.

Will took her appearance in. She didn't seem to be suffering the same difficulties breathing that he was; maybe she ran more often than he did. He did notice, though, that her face was wet, and what he had taken originally to be sweat he now realized were tears. There was, too, a deep red welt across her face that was rapidly turning purple.

"What happened?" he asked softly, approaching her slowly.

Lizzy touched her cheek and winced. "Nothing," she said.

He was next to her now, and had taken her face in one hand, tilting it to better see the bruise. "Welts like that don't get caused by 'nothing'," he said. "Someone hit you."

She looked away, pulling her face from his hand. "It was my fault," she murmured. "I talked back to my dad, and he got mad, said something about slapping cheeky kids. I goaded him to do it."

Will pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly to him. "It's not your fault," he told her. "Your father should know better."

Lizzy pulled away from him again. "_I_ should know better," she said. "I know he's got—" She cut herself off, obviously not wanting to tell him.

"He's got what?" Will asked. He knew he was pushing her out of her comfort zone, but he also knew that some things were better in the open. "Lizzy, if he hurts you—"

"He's never laid a hand on me before tonight!" she snapped. "He just…has a bad temper."

"Are you afraid of him?" Will asked.

"No," Lizzy said stubbornly. "The only thing I'm afraid of is—" She cut herself off again, but tonight was a night of spilling secrets; he was going to get it out of her.

"Is what?" Will asked gently. This might take some delicate work.

"My nightmares," Lizzy murmured.

Somehow, Will wasn't surprised. It was almost as if he'd known since the first time she said that she didn't sleep well at night. "That's why you can't sleep, isn't it?" he said astutely.

"Yeah." Lizzy nodded. "Every time I fall asleep—nightmares. I don't even remember what happened when I wake up; I'm just completely terrified. The only things stop them are Jane and—and—you." This last word was whispered; Will almost didn't catch it.

He didn't question it, simply pulled the almost-blonde, now with tears streaming down her face, into his arms. She didn't resist, didn't pull away, just let him hold her.

Lizzy could not believe her stupidity. How could she ever have thought that George Wickham was right about Will? How could she have even _contemplated_ the possibility of Will not telling the truth? How could she have ever doubted the boy who currently held her in his arms, comforting her?

"I'm sorry," she whispered into his shoulder. "I'm sorry."

He didn't hear her, just kept holding her tightly, rocking her gently. "You'll be all right," he murmured. "It's going to be okay."

They took the mile-long walk home together, side-by-side this time. They weren't holding hands, their arms weren't linked, they were not, in fact, touching in any way. Simply being in the other's presence was enough for both of them.

Probably the most surprising thing of the night to Jane, more than seeing her father slap Lizzy, more than seeing Lizzy jump out a window and off the porch roof, more than seeing Will run after Lizzy, was seeing Lizzy walk through the front door. Jane had been sure that, had Lizzy come back at all, it would be through her window, but there she was, her face bruised and tear-stained, stepping through the door and walking into the kitchen.

"Where did you go?" their father demanded.

Seemingly undaunted for the first time in years, Lizzy said, "I went for a run."

"By yourself?" he demanded.

"No," Lizzy said simply. "Will came with me."

"You shouldn't have walked out like that!" Mr. Bennet snapped.

"I'm sorry," Lizzy said, still calm.

Jane was surprised. Lizzy was normally shouting back at this point. Apparently, Mr. Bennet was surprised, too, and confused. "Go to your room," he snapped.

Meekly, Lizzy went.

Shaking with suppressed fear, Lizzy closed and locked her door. Despite Will's assurances that it would be all right, when presented with her father, Lizzy had reacted the same way she always did to her nightmares; unadulterated fear. And, like with her nightmares, she had hidden it from the outside world.

When Jane came to find Lizzy, the younger girl was a sobbing mess.

"So how's Georgie?" Richard asked slyly as Will walked into the door.

Completely unfazed, Will replied, "She's fine. Missing me, but that's normal."

Seeming to accept his cousin's inability to be confused, Richard, shrugged, and pulled Will and Charlie off to the side. "So I've decided," he said, "that before I leave, I'm going to take the two of you, and a friend each of your choice, camping."

"It'll have to be Friday or Saturday," Will said. "I'm not missing school this early in the year."

"Of course!" said Richard, mock-scandalized. "I would _never_ want to take you away from your studies!"

Laughing and eager to go on a trip with his favorite cousin and his best friend, Will set about wondering how best to ask Lizzy.

* * *

A/N2: Before anyone asks questions: I have the next chapter planned but not typed. It is titled "Camping." Let your imaginations eat that.

Also, tomorrow is my birthday, so REVIEWS PLZKTHNXBAI


	7. Chapter 7: Camping

A/N: *cheerfully* Hey, guys!

...

*crickets*

Heh heh. *rubs back of neck awkwardly* Yeah... Would it help if I said sorry? Would it help if I told you that I've been rapidly turning out both original stories and Criminal Minds fanfic in the interim? Would it help if I offered cookies?

How about money?

How about the promise, on my honor as a writer, that I will work doggedly on this one until it's done? Because that's the best I can do...

Well, hope whoever's still with me enjoys this!

Disclaimer: They won't let me have it, worse luck. I suppose I'll have to say "please" and put it back when I'm done...

* * *

**Chapter 7: Camping**

The next day, Saturday, Will abandoned his cousin to the mercy of the Bingleys and sat on the porch until Lizzy appeared, climbing down from the porch roof instead of jumping. He was by her side in an instant, helping her off the rickety trellis.

"Feeling better?" he asked gently. "How's your face?"

"I'm doing all right," she said.

"Do you want to come over?" Will asked. "I want you to meet my cousin, Richard."

Lizzy looked warily at the house across the street.

"Caroline's not there," Will said, amused. "She left for college this morning."

Still looking a little wary, Lizzy nodded.

"Come on," Will said, and led her across the street.

* * *

Will's cousin was friendly and energetic, and seemed genuinely glad to meet her. He told embarrassing stories about Will's childhood, though Lizzy knew that Will had no right to get mad, as every single one of the stories was embarrassing to Rich, too. She wondered, then, why Rich kept glancing at Will, and Will glared back with every look. Mentally, she shrugged it off. It had nothing to do with her.

Little did she know how wrong she was.

* * *

"So she's the friend you want to bring?" Richard asked quietly after Lizzy had excused herself a while later.

"The only other friend I can think of is Charlie," Will replied. "And you've already invited him. Besides, I could tell he was thinking of inviting Jane."

Charlie glared at Will. "How would you know?"

Will snorted. "You got that sappy look on your face you always do when you talk about her. When are you going to ask her out, anyway? You've known her long enough, and I don't think she'll say no."

"If you're talking about who I think you're talking about," said Lizzy, coming back into the room, "then no, she won't say no."

Charlie blushed. "You're sure?" he asked.

"One hundred percent positive," Lizzy replied. "Ask her. But do it in person. You'll both feel better for it."

Charlie was gone in seconds.

Richard roared with laughter as soon as the door shut, and Lizzy pressed a hand across her mouth, obviously suppressing giggles. Will couldn't help grinning at the obvious mirth surrounding him, though he himself was worried about how exactly he was going to ask Lizzy.

* * *

Charlie didn't come back. Lizzy didn't notice until Will suggested that the two of them give Rich a tour of the neighborhood, and at that point, she realized she didn't care. She liked Rich well enough, but even more she liked the change he wrought in Will. With his cousin, Will Darcy was far more prone to smile and crack jokes, and Lizzy couldn't remember the last time she had laughed so hard as at the antics of the two English boys.

The walk to the park did not seem as long as it normally was, walking with the two of them. Rich told stories, Will corrected him, they both made fun of each other for being idiots and not remembering how the story went, and Lizzy couldn't keep a grin off her face.

When they reached the park, Richard excused himself and strolled casually up to a young woman sitting on a bench on the other side of the playground, one eye on the drawing pad in her lap, the other on a little girl playing on the slides. Will watched his cousin, a small smile on his face.

"He's a shameless flirt," Will said. "Either he'll get her number, or she'll send him packing in about thirty seconds. It never fails."

Lizzy grinned, too, following Will's gaze to the two on the other side of the park. "He's definitely very friendly," she agreed. "I can see how it wouldn't."

* * *

Will felt a sudden surge of fear at Lizzy's comment. Was she falling for Richard's charm, like so many other girls? He must have been wearing his emotions on his face, because when Lizzy looked at him again, she bumped his shoulder with hers. "Worried for her virtue?" she asked, laughter in her eyes, jerking her head towards his cousin and the woman.

Will shook his head. "No, it's nothing." He glanced at her, her bright green eyes alight with laughter and curiosity, and found himself speaking without consciously decided to do so. "Hey, Richard said that he wanted to take Charlie and me on a camping trip next weekend, and that we can both bring a friend. I'm pretty sure Charlie is going to ask Jane. I was just wondering if you wanted to go, too."

Lizzy raised an eyebrow. "Camping?" she asked. "With you, Jane, Charlie, and Rich?"

"Well, if Jane says yes," Will added, "but yeah."

"Jane'll say yes," Lizzy said distractedly. She bit her lip, obviously mulling it over. "Well," she said finally, "I can't think of anything that would prevent me, though I could be forgetting something. Let's go with, I'd love to, definitive pending."

Will laughed quietly, shaking his head. "You have the oddest way of putting things," he told her, unable to stop smiling. She said she wanted to go!

"Come on," she said, grabbing his hand. "Your cousin just got forcibly ejected from the bench. Let's go laugh at him." And she proceeded to drag him across the playground.

* * *

Lizzy kept her face steadfastly out of Will's view, hoping that he wouldn't see her blush. A camping trip. With three boys. And Jane, but still, three boys. She'd never be able to say what pushed her to agree, nor could she say if she wanted to thank it or punch it in the face.

She thought of the hand she was holding, warm and gentle and very suited to her own, and decided to thank whatever the force was.

* * *

Time's sense of humor, the one that causes anticipated events to take forever in coming and dreaded events to come all too soon, had backfired. The week in between Will's invitation and the actual trip passed at the same rate as any other week, because, while Lizzy was looking forward to getting out of the house and hanging out with her sister and their friends, she was also very anxious about the whole thing. She wasn't really sure whether time was moving too fast or too slow.

All too soon, not soon enough, in just the right amount of time she and Jane were adding their bags to Will, Charlie, and Rich's in the trunk of Rich's car. When everything fit and Will had closed the trunk, he slid into shotgun while Lizzy, Jane, and Charlie piled into the back, with Jane in the middle, holding hands with Charlie. Rich turned on the car and added some ridiculous thumping music, and they were off.

* * *

Richard had managed to find a campsite relatively nearby; the drive took an hour. When they got to their site after checking in, Richard practically exploded out of the car. "Okay!" he said loudly, grinning. "Who knows how to set up a tent?"

Lizzy facepalmed.

Will couldn't help laughing. "Give it here, Richard," he said, holding out his hands. "I can get this thing set up."

His cousin handed him the awkward bundle, off-balancing him. Suddenly, Lizzy was there, holding on to the other end and keeping his balance. "I'll help," she offered.

* * *

"I don't know why you brought it," Will said half an hour later, surveying the tent he and Lizzy had just erected. "It's lovely out."

"You wanna strip naked in the middle of the forest?" Lizzy asked, fighting a smile and a blush.

"You have a point," Will conceded after a pause. Was it Lizzy's imagination, or were his cheeks tinted pink, too?

"Well," Rich said, coming up behind the two, "I think it's beautiful, and it will definitely do for a changing stall for when we all get into our jim-jams tonight."

"What do we do until then?" Charlie asked.

Lizzy raised an eyebrow. "Have you never gone camping before?" she asked.

Jane gaped as Charlie shook his head. "Not once?" she demanded.

"Nope," Charlie replied.

Jane glanced at Lizzy. "You do know what this means, Janie, don't you?" Lizzy asked, a mischievous glint in her eye.

"You will _not_ put frogs in his sleeping bag, Elizabeth," Jane said, trying to be stern and suppress a smile at the same time.

"No," Lizzy said musingly. "I don't think it _will_ be frogs."

Jane turned from her plotting sister to her worried-looking boyfriend. "What you do on a camping trip," she explained, "depends a lot on what you brought with you, and what's at the campsite. For instance, Lizzy has a soccer ball, and I brought a deck of cards, and there are trails we can hike on around here."

Lizzy snickered as Jane led the still-worried Charlie away from the camp.

"You're not _actually_ going to put something in his sleeping bag, are you?" Will asked.

Lizzy laughed. "No, that's just something Jane and I do. We'll keep it up the entire time we're here, and I'll probably end up putting a plastic snake on his seat in the car on the way home." She flashed a grin. "So, are you any good at the little game we Americans call soccer?"

"I don't know," Will said, grinning back. "What about you? Are you any good at the little game we Brits call football?"

"Shall we find out?" Lizzy asked.

Will nodded, still grinning.

* * *

"You suck."

"I do not!"

"Yes, you do."

"You just wouldn't let me actually be a goalie!"

"You have to do more than jump into the goal and grab the ball with your hands."

"It's worked this long!"

"That's because you've only ever played against your sisters."

"Liar."

"Am not!"

"Are too! I've played against more than just them!"

Richard lifted his head from the fire he was tending. "Do my ears deceive me," he said, "or is my dearest cousin William actually having a fight with a girl?"

"Shut up, Richard," Will said, without venom. "We're having an intellectual debate."

Richard turned to Jane and Charlie, who were sitting at the wooden picnic table, watching him. "That means they're about two minutes from degrading to 'You're stupid,' 'No, you're stupid.'"

Jane and Charlie roared with laughter and Lizzy flipped Richard off. Will couldn't keep the grin off his face.

* * *

"You can't sleep on the picnic table," Will pointed out, walking into her range of vision.

"You're blocking the stars," Lizzy said, pushing him away.

"Lizzy, you'll fall off and break your neck, and then Jane will break mine," Will said, grabbing her hand to pull her up.

"Meh," Lizzy replied, not cooperating.

"You can see the stars just as well from the ground," Will said, trying to cajole her into getting off the table.

"Not bothered," Lizzy answered. "I like it here." _I won't fall asleep here,_ she added privately.

It felt almost as if Will could read her thoughts. "Jane's here," he said quietly. "And so am I."

Lizzy glared at him. "So?" she demanded, a little too roughly.

"So maybe you won't have nightmares."

Lizzy turned her head away. She hated being vulnerable; that's why she had never told anyone but Jane about the nightmares. But one day, one blasted day this boy had to come along and…let her open up. Let her be herself. Let her be afraid.

She turned back to him. "Maybe I won't," she said softly.

Will held out his hand again. "Come on," he said. "We should get to sleep. Everyone else already is."

Lizzy took his hand and followed him to the sleeping bags. They stretched out next to each other in a clear space with a beautiful view of the stars.

"I'll be right here," Will murmured. "If you need anything."

He fell asleep before Lizzy, but she noticed something as she slipped into her dreams; the gentle, firm grip of Will Darcy's hand on hers never once slackened.

* * *

A/N2: Virtual cookies to every single reviewer! 3


	8. Chapter 8: Walking in the Woods

A/N: Holy crap, guys, look! I'm actually posting! What is this insanity?

Anyway, for those of you still out there and following this (all two of you), I hope you enjoy it. Also, read the second author's notes. You could win (virtual) prizes!

Disclaimer: I own a copy of the book, and two different versions of it in movie format. I _wish_ I own Colin Firth. No such luck, though.

* * *

**Chapter 8: Walking in the Woods**

Lizzie woke up the next morning feeling refreshed, protected, and safe. She opened her eyes and found herself on the ground in a forest. Confusion reigned at the feeling of arms around her waist, until she remembered the events of the night before and realized that they must be Will's. Rolling over, she found herself looking into that boy's deep green eyes.

"Are you sure you have nightmares?" he asked with a small smile. "I don't think you moved once last night."

"Well," Lizzie said, doing her best to fight a blush, "you were there."

Will's smile grew. "You're pretty cute when you're just woken up," he told her. "All rumpled and sleepy-looking." His smile faded slowly into an intense, serious expression. He pulled her closer, moving until their mouths were a fraction of an inch apart, then murmured, "Can I kiss you?"

Lizzie's heart melted. No one had ever asked before; the few boys of her experience had simply assumed. "Yes," she breathed, and closed the space between the two of them, sealing their mouths together.

Will slid one of his hands up to cup Lizzie's chin. He kissed her so tenderly that Lizzie's heart almost broke. She couldn't possibly think how he could do that, so she told her brain to shut up and enjoy it.

* * *

Will had no idea how long he lay there, kissing Lizzie, before something hit him in the face.

"Wake up, little cousin!" Richard's voice called. "It's a brand new day!"

Will slowly pulled himself from Lizzie and sat up, glaring at Richard. When his cousin kept smiling, Will, deadpan, rattled off every single German curse he knew.

Charlie, Jane, and Lizzie all looked confused, and Richard looked shocked for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"I didn't know you _knew_ some of those," Richard managed.

Will rolled his eyes and stood up, offering his hand to Lizzie to help her up. "Come on," he said. "Let's go shower."

* * *

"Not a word," Lizzie muttered to Jane.

The blonde tried to look innocent, but couldn't quite manage to keep a smile off her face. "Not even one?" Jane asked plaintively.

"Hey, just because Rich didn't throw a sock at _Charlie_ doesn't mean that the two of you weren't doing anything," Lizzie replied.

Jane's spluttered protests were negated by her blush.

* * *

"If you say anything, I _will_ kill you," Will told Charlie.

Charlie laughed. "That wouldn't stop me," he said. "I'd tease you if I hadn't been doing to same thing."

Will rolled his eyes. "Of course."

* * *

After showering, Lizzie twisted Jane's long hair into a braid, then, after attempting to wrestle her own into a single ponytail, ended up putting in two pigtails.

"There's a pretty neat trail over that way," Jane said on their way back. "We could go on a hike."

Lizzie grinned. "Sounds like a plan. Let's run it by the boys first, though, so they don't get worried when we disappear."

Jane shoved her sister affectionately. "I meant all of us, nut."

Lizzie shoved her back. "Who needs boys?"

* * *

Will smiled at the sound of laughter coming towards the campground. Charlie looked up excitedly as a twig napped at the entrance. Jane was ahead, her long blonde hair in a tight, damp braid hanging in front of her shoulder. She grinned at Charlie and stepped towards him. As she moved, Lizzie came into view behind her. Will's stomach dropped; the shorter girl was flushed, happy, and laughing, her tank top sliding off one shoulder, and her damp hair, normally falling to her shoulders in shaggy, uneven waves, was caught up in two pigtails. She was gorgeous.

"We wanna take a hike!" Lizzy announced. "Anyone else?"

Charlie, ever eager, bounced up and moved to Jane. "I'm game!" he replied

"Sure, why not?" Will asked rhetorically.

Richard glanced between the four teenagers, and declared, "I'm going to stay here and clean up the camp so we have less to do tomorrow."

Will met Lizzy's gaze. She rolled her eyes, and Will covered his mouth with his hand to muffled his laughter. Charlie scooped up Jane's hand. "So, when are we going?" he asked.

"Whenever you want," Lizzy said.

"Let's go now!" Will said impulsively. "Come on!"

"Let me change my shoes first," Lizzy laughed. She glanced down to her feet, with their chipped green nail polish and neon orange flip-flops. "I don't think I can go hiking in these."

"You run well enough," Will offered.

Lizzy laughed again. "Maybe, but in the woods, there are bugs and poison ivy. I'll be safer with sneakers."

"Charlie, I need that!" Lizzy glanced over at her laughing sister, and Will followed her gaze. Charlie was holding tightly to Jane's hand, and Jane was attempting to pull away. "I need to put my shoes on!"

"You can do that with one hand!" Charlie replied. "I don't wanna let go!"

Lizzy turned back to Will. "I was going to get involved," she said, "but it just got sickeningly cute. I'm gonna go gag in the tent."

Will laughed. "Go get your shoes. Let's get going."

"You seem eager." She was close, closer than she had been since that morning. "Any particular reason for that?"

Was she flirting with him? Will, smiled, deciding to give as good as he got. He reached out an tugged one of Lizzy's pigtails. "Well, Charlie's a fast walker. I figure when we're left in the dust, I could pin you up against a tree and snog the hell out of you."

Lizzy's eyes widened and her face turned bright pink. "Really?" Her voice cracked in the middle of the word and shot up an octave for the second syllable. She had squeak.

Suddenly worried that he had frightened her—she didn't seem like the type of person to squeak often—he reached out and took her hand. "Only if you want to," he promised.

* * *

Lizzy couldn't help herself. She burst into peals of laughter. "Oh, Will," she giggled when she had the breath to speak. She leaned her forehead on his shoulder. "Of course I want to. You just surprised me, is all." She pushed herself up on her toes and pressed a kiss to Will's cheek. "I'll go get my shoes."

Knowing she was blushing, Lizzy dashed to the tent she and Jane were, in theory, sharing. Fishing for socks from her bag, Lizzy couldn't help playing Will's words over again in her head. Her stomach performed the same slow, warm flip as it had the first time, and she could feel her face warm up again.

Wrestling orange-, yellow-, red-, and black-striped knee-highs onto her feet and legs, Lizzy worked to cool her blush. Once the socks were on, she stepped into her new-ish Converse and laced them up tightly. Ducking out of the tent, Lizzy saw that Jane and Charlie were attempting to tie Jane's shoes together. Lizzy covered her eyes with her hand. "This will only end well," she muttered, and moved back to Will.

"Do you wanna get started?" she asked. "They'll be a while."

"They'll catch up to us," Will warned.

"Jane has enough tact to just haul Charlie around us if she finds us snogging against a tree," Lizzy replied with a smile. She took Will's hand and tugged on him. "Come on. I wanna get out there!"

Will followed her, smiling and shaking his head. "You're crazy, you know that?"

Lizzy grinned and fell in step beside him. They walked on in silence; not the awkward silence of the beginning of the school year, but a companionable silence of two people comfortable with each other.

"Lizzy?" Will said eventually.

"Is it important?" Lizzy asked.

"No," Will replied, sounding slightly nonplussed.

"Then shush," Lizzy murmured. "It's peaceful." She squeezed his hand gently.

They kept walking for several more minutes, until they had passed a fork in the path and gone around a turn.

"It's important this time," Will said.

Lizzy stopped and raised an eyebrow at him. "Is it, now?" she asked.

"Yes." With the hand that wasn't still curled around Lizzy's, he cupped her chin in his hand, tilting her head slightly sideways and pulling her a little closer.

Where their first kiss that morning had been tender and gentle, this one was fiery and passionate. A vague wisp of curiosity about where Will had learned to kiss like this was swiftly brushed away as Lizzy let herself be kissed.

* * *

Very carefully trying to think, Will backed Lizzy slowly against the convenient large tree he had spotted on her side of the path. She whimpered slightly as her back impacted with the trunk, and Will pressed himself into her soft curves.

"Hey, Will!"

"Charlie, I told you not to!"

Will groaned and detached his mouth from Lizzy's, then leaned his forehead against hers. "I hope you know my opinion of you," he called.

Lizzy laughed softly. "Charlie," she called, "you do realize that you're not just torturing Will, right? And that for everything Will can think of to do to you, I can think of three things ten times worse?"

Charlie was silent for a moment, then he said, "Jane, I think it would be much safer for us to keep walking than to stay here."

Jane laughed. A moment later, their footsteps started, and then slowly faded into the distance.

"That's probably the smartest thing I've ever heard him say," Lizzy said with a grin.

"Mm," Will agreed. "Now, where were we?"

* * *

When they left the woods, both of them were flushed and grinning, and their hands were clasped together.

"There's a pool somewhere around here," Rich said blandly when he saw the two of them. "We could go swimming."

"Isn't it kind of cold for swimming?" Jane asked.

Rich shrugged. "Maybe a bit, but it'll still be fun!"

"Well," Charlie said, looking over Jane in a way that made her blush, "I think it's a great idea. Will?"

Will looked over Lizzy in a way that made her feel like she was already in a swimsuit. "I think it'd be fun," he agreed. "Lizzy?"

Lizzy gave Will her own look. "Maybe," she said teasingly. "Though you boys may have more 'fun' than Jane and me."

Rick managed to fight a smile and look injured. "Why, Elizabeth!" he exclaimed. "I'm offended!"

"Wounded, even?" Lizzy asked with a grin.

"Hurt, Lizzy." Rich could no longer keep the smile off his face. "I suppose that's four votes for, one meh, and none against. Swimming it is!"

They split up to change in their separate tents. Jane changed swiftly into the one-piece she had brought, then slid an old sundress over her head and stood at the tent flap, deliberating. Lizzy climbed almost as fast into her tankini, but took a minute to wrap her long skirt around her waist and tie it off.

"Ready, Janie?" Lizzy asked.

"Kind of nervous, actually," Jane admitted. "You're lucky you don't ever get like this around guys."

Lizzy bit her lip, then took her sister's hands in her own. "I'm gonna tell you a secret, Janie," she said. "I'm absolutely petrified right now."

Jane's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "But you don't look it!"

"You have to pretend you're not," Lizzy said. "Aside from making the other person even more nervous because you seem like you're on top of the world, you slowly stop actually being nervous, without even noticing it. You just take a minute to yourself and realize that you're not pretending to not be nervous anymore."

"Make believe you're brave," Jane said, comprehension dawning on her face, "and the trick will get you far."

Lizzy grinned. "You might be as brave as you make believe you are," she replied. "Come on. Let's knock 'em dead."

* * *

A/N2: So! There was fluff. And more fluff. I hope you got your fix, because we're back to PlotThings and angst next chapter. And I think I know where this is going to end. No, I won't tell you. I'm going to let you suffer in agony.

Virtual cookies to anyone who can tell me where Rich and Lizzy's exchange came from. You get nothing for guessing the inspiration for this chapter; any good Pride and Prejudice fan should be able to pick it out.

Also! You all should hop over to Tumblr, to The Lizzie Bennet Diaries blog (lizziebennetdiaries(dot)tumblr(dot)com) because it is epic and awesome and funny and there is a _very_ pretty ginger starring in it. And Felicia Day said we have to, so go! Now!


	9. Chapter 9: This Is Peace

A/N: What do you know! Another chapter! Maybe this comes from the fact that IT'S SUMMER and I have NO SCHOOL! *parties* Then again, I work every day. Granted, that's a lot more fun than school... Who knows! Just be happy it's here!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of this, but I promise I'll play nicely and put them back how I found them when I'm done.

* * *

**Chapter 9: This Is Peace**

Surprisingly, they weren't the only ones at the pool. It seems that many other people had the same idea of a last hurrah for the summer. Swimming was fun, but teasing each other was more so.

Lizzy's original analysis of Will's physique, that he was wiry, was completely accurate. Slim, muscled, dripping, and wearing nothing but loose, soaked swim trunks, he stood in front of her now, hands on his hips, grinning evilly. Lizzy lay on a deck chair, her skirt back on, her left leg drawn up and out through the seam created by the separated edges of the skirt, a book propped against her bare thigh.

"William Darcy," Lizzy said, "if you get my book wet _at all_, you will regret it for the rest of your life."

"Mm," Will said. He dried his hands on a towel, then slid the bookmark out of the back of Lizzy's book and put it in the spot where she was reading. He then closed the book and put it on the chair next to her.

"Will," Lizzy said suspiciously, "what are you doing?"

"Oh, nothing," Will said, then suddenly leaned forward and swept Lizzy off her seat and over his shoulder.

"Will!" Lizzy shrieked. "Put me down!"

"Not an option!" Will said. Lizzy could hear the grin in his voice.

"I need this skirt dry!" Lizzy protested, fumbling for excuses.

"Oh," Will said. "I hadn't thought of that."

Lizzy expected to be swung down, her skirt untied, and then picked back up, so she got ready to run, but Will just reached up and tugged the knot loose. Her skirt fluttered off, falling in the flat sheet it was when it wasn't tied around her waist.

"Will, no!" Lizzy yelped, but couldn't help laughing as she struggled. Will's hands moved to her waist, slipping under her top and gripping her bare skin. When his hands tightened, Lizzy stopped struggling; what was going to happen was inevitable, and Will would be more likely to drop her if she thrashed.

"I'm going to kill you," Lizzy promised.

"I look forward to it," Will replied lightly, and heaved her into the pool.

Lizzy took a deep breath as she flew through the air, and held it as she sunk the ten feet to the bottom of the pool. When she reached it, she used the pool's floor to propel herself back upwards. Surfacing calmly, she blinked pool water from her eyes and glared ineffectively at Will. Seconds later, he had jumped in and was treading water next to her.

"Hi!" he said, grinning.

"You're insane," Lizzy informed him.

"Yeah."

* * *

It had been difficult, at first, to keep his eyes off Lizzy. Complimenting as his gaze could be considered, Will really didn't think that Lizzy would enjoy being ogled like a piece of meat.

Now that he was a little more used to seeing her in her swimsuit, it was a little easier to keep his eyes to himself. He still caught himself staring every now and then, though, and would whip his gaze away as fast as possible; still, he was certain Lizzy, at least, had caught him looking once or twice.

The pool had cleared somewhat, and Charlie had rounded up a few other high teenagers to play a game of Marco Polo. Lizzy had taken a solid hit to the shin that had broken skin in the last round, and the two of them were currently sitting on the edge of the pool, distractedly attempting to stop the bleeding. Richard was currently fumbling around blindly, having apparently forgotten about his ability to call "Marco" to help him find the other players.

"Do cuts like this normally bleed so much?" Will demanded, half-rhetorically.

"Yes," Lizzy replied, grinning as Richard practically tripped over a tall brunette girl, and still didn't catch her.

Will paused with his hand resting on Lizzy's leg. "How do you know this?"

Lizzy met his eyes; she looked slightly exasperated. "You know how guys have hair on their legs and girls don't? That's actually not natural."

Will felt like hitting himself. "Obviously," he commented dryly, "I'm an idiot."

"Obviously, you don't think enough," Lizzy shot back. "This doesn't make you an idiot."

Will knew he wouldn't win on the subject of self-deprecation, so he changed it. "How do we get the blood to stop, then, Oh Powerful Woman?" he asked.

"Apply more pressure," Lizzy replied sagely. "Right now you're just sopping up the blood."

Will did as he was told.

"Ow!" Lizzy yelped. "Not that hard! I do actually have nerves there." She placed her hands over his, loosening his grip, and then pushing down again. "Like that. Stops the bleeding, doesn't hurt me."

Will looked up from their hands to find Lizzy's face inches from his and beautifully flushed. "You're very, very close," he whispered.

"Yes," Lizzy whispered back, "and I can be closer, if you want."

Will's brain stopped working for a moment as his small, almost-blonde became just that, and pressed a swift kiss to his lips.

"Come back," he murmured as she moved away.

"We have a potential audience," she pointed out, "and I don't know about you, but I think Charlie stopping us once is enough."

Will grinned. "You're right. I vote we don't invite them on the next walk."

Lizzy giggled, blushing slightly at the memory of what, exactly, had happened on their previous walk. "Seconded," she replied. "Now, do you know where we can find any waterproof bandages? I kind of wanna get back in there."

* * *

"Why are you on the table again?"

Will's voice sounded long-suffering. Lizzy grinned.

"I _was_ actually stargazing last night," she said, "and I am again tonight. The view's better here than where we slept."

"We could sleep next to the table," Will suggested.

"We could also roll into the table and be rudely awakened in the night," Lizzy replied. "Besides, I'm not quite tired yet. And no one else is asleep, so you can't use that to coax me off this time."

"Jane is," Will pointed out.

Lizzy sat up. Sure enough, there was her sister, tucked into her sleeping bag, flat on her back, out cold. "She never could stay up late," Lizzy murmured, shaking her head and grinning.

"Here, I have an idea," Will said. He left Lizzy's side, trotting to the tent he, Charlie, and Rich were supposed to be sharing. He came back out with two blankets, one of which he spread on the ground a little distance from the picnic table. Curious, Lizzy stood up and walked over to him.

"The view is good from here, too," Will pointed out, "and now it actually feels like stargazing." He lay down on the blanket and tucked his hands behind his head.

Lizzy grinned and joined him, tucking only one arm behind her head. "You're right," she admitted. "It does feel more like stargazing." A moment a silence passed before she spoke again. "So what's the other blanket for?"

"That's for if we get cold," Will replied, "but aren't quite ready to go to sleep."

"Do you think of everything?" Lizzy asked.

"Pretty much," Will answered with a grin. He reached out and slipped his hand around Lizzy's. She squeezed gently, and they fell into silence.

They did get cold, and sleepy, but didn't quite feel like moving. Will spread the blanket over the two of them, and they continued to watch the stars move. Lizzy wasn't sure exactly when it happened, but Will fell asleep like that, still holding her hand.

It was odd, Lizzy reflected as she felt her own eyelids growing heavy, that she didn't feel any apprehension or nervousness around Will; she just felt happy and safe. It was easy enough to make her happy; someone just had to do something nice or say something nice, about her or one of her sisters. Feeling safe, though, was a different matter entirely.

She liked it, she realized, and she knew that if she wanted to keep the feeling, she was just going to have to keep Will around for a while.

* * *

A/N2: Okay, so I lied. There was not plot and angst. I felt like giving you another fluffy chapter before we got to back to home and school and things. I doubt any of you are complaining, though. Go on, tell me how much you're not complaining!


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